Fire screen



FIRE SCREEN Filed 1958 Jig-1 31,1939. RJPANZA 2,145,433

Patented Jan. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF1E 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to fire screens, and more particularly toimprovements in foldable fire screens of the kind set forth in a formerpatent, No. 2,028,918, issued to me January 28,

A particular object of this invention is to provide a. fire screenwherein the foldable parts are nestable within the main screen orstationary part so as to minimize to half size the usual shipping cartonfor the screen.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved. means offastening the movable parts of the screen to the stationary part thereofand utilizing such means to indicate, at a particular adjusted positionof the movable part, the correct or maximum swing to which such partshould be limited to make the screen sparkless.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing a foldablewinged screen wherein each wing, per se, is provided with improved stopmeans which limits the swing at a predetermined point and providing ashield for the gap between the wing and stationary part to obstruct thepassage of sparks through such gap at other points of its swing.

Yet another object resides in the elimination of certain corner parts,thus simplifying the device and reducing the cost of the manufacturethereof;

Still other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein is shown preferred andmodified embodimerits- Fig. 1 is a perspective View of my improved firescreen as it would appear in operative position if placed before a fireplace,

Fig. 2 is an elevational View looking toward -10 the inside of thescreen with one wing thereof nested within the main screen proper,

Fig. 3 is a section taken. on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 to further illustratethe nested condition of the foldable wing,

5 Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1,

and,

Fig. 5 is a modified showing of the structure shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing 0 and, having referencefirst to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-4 thereof, the firescreen of the present invention comprises a plurality of sections,including a central or main screen frame 6 provided with a handle 1 andwing 65 frame sections 8 and 9 pivoted to said main frame 3, saidsections 8 and 9, when not in operative position, being nestable withinsaid main frame. Each of the sections 6, 3, and 9 are provided with arectangular frame of angle iron. The cen tral frame 6 is provided withangle irons l and 5 i l at the sides and with angle iron frames l2 andl3 at the top and bottom, the legs i l, l5, l6, and ll of said angleiron frames being arranged in a. common plane, and the remaining legsl8, i9, 28, and El of each frame if), H, l2, and i3 10 projecting in acommon direction from said plane. Legs i l and [5 are spot welded tolegs H5 and H where they overlap, and the screen 22 is spot welded atintervals on the inside faces of said legs. 15

Wing sections 3 and 9 are formed similarly to frame 6, and since section8 is. the right hand frame as viewing the screen in. Fig. l, and section9 is the left hand frame, and the latter sections are similar thoughreversely arranged, a 20 common numbering of the respective elementswill be adhered to.

Angle irons 23 and 24 comprise the uprights for the wing sections, andangle irons 25 and 26 compose respectively the top and bottom members.25 Legs 27, 2B, 29, and 38 of the wing section frames are arranged in acommon plane, and the remaining legs iii, 32, 33, and 34 project in acommon direction therefrom. Legs. 21 and 28 are spot welded to legs 29and Bil, where they overlap, and the screen 35 is spot welded atintervals on the inside faces of said legs,

Wing frame sections 8 and 9 are pivoted to the main frame 6 by extendingthe legs 33 and 34 into an overlapping relation with the ends of legs 20and 2 l, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and securing these extending portions35 by means. of rivets 31. The end portions of the extensions 36 arerounded. as shown in Fig. 4 to permit freedom of swing with relation tothe legs l6 and H and the wire screen adjacent thereto. Legs. l8 and iiiare also cut short as shown in Fig. 2 (note particularly leg H3 at rightin Fig. 2) to permit the extension 36 to pass between the ends of legsl8 and I9 and the legs 26 and 2| with a working fit.

The extensions. 36 may be slightly offset as shown in Fig. 2 to provideadded clearance between the legs 33 and 34 and the legs 20 and 2| whenthe wings 8 and 9 are swung inwardly into a nested relation with themain frame 5.

It will be noted by referring to Fig. 4 that the pivot 31? is arrangedin such a manner that at a particular or predetermined part of the swingof the wing 9, the leg 3i is brought into a contacting or closingposition with leg I8.

This particular positioning of the wing 9 with relation to its mainframe serves two functions. It indicates the setting of the wingswhereby the screen as a whole is correctly stabilized, and when insuch-a position, the screen is made sparkless; that is to say, there isno gap between the juxtaposed legs i8 and Si through which a spark couldpass. It will also be noted in Fig. 4 that during the swing of the wing9 from nested position to correct open position, the leg 3| overlies leg8 to bring about this sparklcss feature.

However, in the dotted line position of the wing 9 shown in Fig. 4,there is a gap between the leg 3| and I8, notwithstanding in suchposition the leg 3! extends inwardly of the leg [8; and in order in suchposition that no spark may pass through such gap, I provide the leg 3mwith a curved portion Bib in order that at all times a fire place screenthat is truly sparkless may be had.

This latter showing is illustrated as a modification in Fig. 5 in dottedand full line positions, and in full line position, the curved portionengages with the edge portion of leg I 8a. to provide a definite stopmeans for the wings 8 and 9 when they are outwardly swung to operativeposition.

By referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that when the wing 9 is swunginto a nested relation with the main frame (and the same is also true ofWing 3) only a space half as great in thickness is needed to box thescreen than was required for the screen upon which this improvement isbased.

It will be seen that the curved, hook-shaped flange portion 3lb not onlyprovides a positive means to prevent escape of sparks, but it also ispositioned to hook over the edge of the flange leg I8 to stop theoutswing of the swingable wing section before it swings out so far as toprevent stable supporting of the device in its upstanding position.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration only, and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall within the scope of the subject matterclaimed.

What I claim is:

1. A screen of the kind described, including a plurality of sections,each of which is provided with a rectangular frame of angle iron, theangle irons at the top, bottom, and sides of the frame being arranged tohave one leg of each in a common plane and the remaining leg of eachprojecting in a common direction from said plane, and means to pivot oneof said sections to another whereby the outer face of the vertical legof one section contacts with the adjacent vertical leg of anothersection at a predetermined part of the movement of one section inrelation to the other.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 and, said vertical leg of said movablesection in all parts of its swing overhanging the adjacent vertical legof another section in such a manner as to prevent possibility of sparkspassing between said legs.

3. The subject matter of claim 1, and, said vertical leg of said movablesection being provided with a curved edge portion, and said curved edgeportion overlying the gap existing between adjacent vertical legs.

4.. A screen of the kindv described, including a plurality of sections,each of which is provided with a rectangular frame of angle iron, theangle irons at the top, bottom, and sides of the frame being arranged tohave one leg of each in a common plane and the remaining leg of eachprojecting in a common direction from said plane, and means to pivot oneof said sections to another, said vertical leg of said movable sectionbeing provided with a deflected edge portion which comes into acontacting relation with the edge of the adjacent vertical leg of anadjoining section at the limit of the swing of the movable section aboutsaid pivot means.

5. The subject matter of claim 4 and, said deflected edge portion beinghook-shaped andforming a stop by hooking over said edge of said verticalleg of said adjacent section.

6. A screen of the kind described, including a plurality of sections,each of which is provided with a rectangular frame of angle iron, theangle irons at the top, bottom, and sides of the frame being arranged tohave one leg of each in a common plane and the remaining leg of eachprojecting in a common direction from said plane, and means to pivot oneof said sections to another whereby one of said sections constitutes aswingable wing in relation to a stationed section, said wing sectionhaving top and bottom flanges with legs which project from one edgethereof to form ears for said pivot means and the adjacent end flangesof said stationed section having legs which are shortened to provideworking clearances for said ears.

7. The subject matter of claim 6 and, said shortened legs beingcontinuous from the top to the bottom of the device, and said wingsections having flanges with the adjacent correspondingly continuouslegs positioned to cooperate with said shortened legs to prevent escapeof sparks in all relative positions of said two sections.

RALPH PANZA.

